Ok, the dream suggests to me very strongly that there is something she is trying to move beyond but to do so causes great fear.

She is at a doorway which is half open. She is inside, faced with the decision and opportunity to go out - to leave what is safe, sheltering and familiar, to face uncertainty and risk in the "outside" world.

I did some research on mouse symbolism and was fascinated to discover that the mount of Ganesh is a mouse:

Thus I would interpret the mouse as a motivating force, a "divine sense" or intuition that is inspiring your friend to go out on this venture. It is climbing up her right leg, which symbolizes the conscious, active force which she uses to take her out of her familiar situation and into the new, unfamiliar one. Even though she is acting on intuition (the "mouse" tickling her leg), feeling in her mind that this is the right course, when she looks at it she sees that it is not a mouse but instead a lizard.

Lizards, which are not only cold-blooded animals, are also symbols of transformation because as reptiles they shed their skin, and they are also capable of growing a new tail if the old one breaks off. Your friend may be recognizing this alarming transformation in herself which is naturally part of this decision which she has taken. Letting go of her old "skin", or leaving a part of herself behind (the tail), seems uncomfortable and disturbing. The lizard's cold-bloodedness may also be a factor as it may be that she has to detach from certain emotional ties in order to make this happen.

By the time it reaches her face, she blocks the lizard with her hand, perhaps a sign that she doesn't want others to be able to see this fear on her face.

Given this interpretation, I would guess that she is faced with a major decision in her life right now, perhaps changing jobs, breaking up with someone, or moving out of her home, something like that. The mouse suggests to me that she feels the need to do it but the lizard indicates she is struggling with fears that she does not want to be obvious to others.

As always there are many ways to interpret any given dream, this is just one interpretation which most readily occurs to me. A hug to your friend from me. Regardless of what the inspiration for the dream may be, nightmares are unpleasant either which way.

Hi! I had an interesting dream last night that I wish to share. I usually can come to some kind of understanding on my own but this one has got me a bit baffled...

I was telling a story to someone. The story was dark, almost mysterious. I can't tell you what the story was about. I don't know who I was telling the story to. My sense tells me it was a male person. As I was speaking, I felt myself begin to be pulled inside myself from the gut almost like something had reached in through my back, grabbed my gut and began to pull...kind of like retreating inside. I was asking this person to help me, reaching outward with my hands. I recall being concerned but I wasn't overly upset, I just needed help. Next, I could see a figure standing over my "body" comforting me...thats it.

Hi Rosie, some questions for you. How did you feel about the figure standing over your body comforting you? Do you know if it was a male or a female? Was it the same person you were telling the story to?

Rosie, the impression that I get from this dream is that there is a painful memory that you are beginning to come to terms with. Telling the story but not knowing what it was about suggests to me that the memory of it was partially repressed. As you may know, often times when we are forced to endure something very (either physically or emotionally) painful, our conscious minds often can not fully register the impact and especially, often times can not begin to grasp the reasons for what occurred.

The male person in the dream, symbolizing the masculine archetype, may represent you / your body "presenting" the memory to your conscious awareness. It may be that enough time has passed now that the masculine aspect of your mind (representing logic, knowledge, science, control, etc) is beginning to feel comfortable "hearing the story" so as to try to make more sense of it all.

The "gut reaction" you describe suggests to me that your body is remembering the pain of the experience. The female figure in your dream, symbolizing the feminine archetype of emotionality, spirituality and surrender, suggests to me that you are aware of being in a safe place to be able to process this information. It's like your body is telling this memory, "It's ok to come out of hiding now, you are safe here".

Standard disclaimer: just one of many possible ways to interpret this dream. Just sharing what occurs to me. Feel free to share any questions if you have any.

Thank you for your interpretation. I have been giving thought to this as well and woke the other night with the sense of being kicked in the gut, or having the life sucked out of me. Usually when I am looking for a meaning to one of my dreams, it will come in the early hours of the morning after a good night sleep. I believe this is what has happened. I recently have had to deal with an ongoing issue that when it comes up, effects me physically in a very harsh way. I actually experience physical pain. In order for me to come to terms with it and protect myself from further anguish, I need to make changes in my life.

The painful memory you are referring to may or may not be part of this current issue, though I suspect it is. It very well could be but I need to keep myself open to other past issues. Goodness knows, if I'm beginning to deal with something, anything from my past, I will welcome it. The less emotional baggage I have to carry around, the better. I want to shed the negativity and move into the second half of my life with a lighter load and more energy to embrace what's to come.